apropos of nothing

English

Phrase

apropos of nothing

1. Without reference to anything.
2. Without any apparent reason or purpose.

Usage notes

• Sometimes used in conversation to introduce a comment that has no bearing on the current subject (or to humorously feign the absence of an obvious connection).

Synonyms

• (without any apparent reason or purpose): without rhyme or reason

Translations

without reference to anything

• Czech: nesouvisející, bez hlavy a paty
• Italian: senza capo né coda
• Norwegian: apropos ingenting
• Russian: ни к селу́, ни к го́роду (ru) (ni k selú, ni k górodu) (neither to a city, nor to a village), не к ме́сту (ru) (ne k méstu) (not to a (proper) place)
• Spanish: aprovechando que el Pisuerga pasa por Valladolid (Spain, colloquial), sin venir a cuento, sin venir al caso, de la nada
• Swedish: apropå ingenting

without any apparent reason or purpose

• Czech: bezúčelný (cs) m
• Portuguese: do nada (pt), a troco de nada, de repente (pt)
• Russian: ни с того́ ни с сего́ (ru) (ni s tovó ni s sevó)
• Swedish: helt apropå

See also

• à propos de bottes
• non sequitur